With Europe in focus, India-Italy virtual summit on Friday

Indian and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will hold virtual summit on Friday even as India increases its engagement with Europe. While this is the 5th virtual summit India is holding amid the COVID pandemic, this is the 3rd one with European leadership.

In the month of July, the 15th India EU summit took place virtually with the participation by President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Later India held a virtual summit with Denmark PM Mette Frederiksen.

A Ministry of External Affairs release said the virtual summit, "will give an opportunity to the two leaders to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship and exchange views on major regional and global issues of mutual concern."

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The development comes even as India is increasing its engagement with European countries. Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla was in Paris, Berlin and London. During his interlocutors in all 3 European capitals, he discussed many issues, like Indo Pacific, terrorism, radicalization and COVID crisis.

The virtual summit or what is being termed as diplomacy in the age of pandemic took place with Australian PM Scott Morrison and later with Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

On the ties, the release said, "India and Italy share a warm and multifaceted relationship based on strong historical ties, common democratic traditions, rule of law and a shared goal of international peace and stability."

Explaining, "India views Italy as an important member of the EU and values its positive contribution in furthering India-EU ties."

Italy is India’s 5th largest trading partner in the EU, after Germany, Belgium, UK and France. Around 600 large Italian companies are active in India with bilateral trade standing at Euros 9.52 billion in 2019.